(Luton, UK – 16 February 2016) – Monarch has continued to liaise closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Department for Transport (DfT) and the UK Government over the travel advice to Sharm El Sheikh. Whilst we are aware of the recent assessment of security procedures at Sharm El Sheikh Airport and welcome this progress, we appreciate there is further work to be done to reopen this airport to the travelling British public. Currently, the advice from both the FCO and the DfT remains unchanged from November and advises customers against all but essential air travel to Sharm El Sheikh Airport. However, Monarch is mindful of the ongoing government level discussions to restart UK flights to Sharm El Sheikh, which could allow the Easter period to operate as planned.
As there is no change in advice at this point, Monarch has extended the cancellation of flights to and from the UK and Sharm El Sheikh Airport up to and including Thursday, 24th March 2016. In the event that the advice does not change by next week (26th February 2016), Monarch will make further cancellations including the Easter period. It remains Monarch’s objective to operate flights to Sharm El Sheikh once approval is granted.
Customers who are affected by these cancellations are entitled to change a booking to a later date or rebook to another destination on the Monarch network. Customers can also request a credit note towards future travel or a refund.
For customers looking for an alternative destination, Monarch has additional flights to mainland Spain, Faro, Gibraltar, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Tenerife. Other alternatives for a winter sun escape include the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Eilat and Cyprus, Agadir and Madeira. Details of these together with other suggestions for a winter holiday getaways can be found on our website.
Flight only customers can contact the Monarch Customer Contact Centre on 0333 003 0700. Customers who have booked a package holiday should contact Monarch on 0333 777 4744.
The safety and security of our passengers will always remain our number one priority and whilst this ongoing situation is beyond our control, Monarch would like to apologise to all affected customers for the inconvenience that it has caused.
Learn more about Monarch Airlines at http://www.monarch.co.uk
